The World Wide Panorama

Introduction

The World Wide Panorama event of the second quarter of 2020 is a collection of panoramas with the common theme of “Confinement”.

Theme Essay: Confinement

The essay conveys the team’s idea of the event. It is usually published together with the Theme announcement and offers a starting point for the contributing photographers.

CONFINEMENT

by Carsten T. Rees

The word originally derives from the Latin phrase: con fines – with borders or borderlines. It found its way into the English language via the French word “confinement”. The original meaning in 18th century England was being “unable to leave the house or bed from sickness or childbirth".

The Wiktionary still lists two major meanings:

1. The act of confining or the state of being confined.
2. (dated) Lying-in, time of giving-birth.

Well point 1 is not really elucidating the word. Let´s see, whether Wikipedia can help us further (cited from the English Wikipedia):

“Confinement may refer to

1. With respect to humans:
   1. old-fashioned or archaic synonym for childbirth
   2. Postpartum confinement (or postnatal confinement), a system of recovery after childbirth, involving rest and special foods
   3. Civil confinement for psychiatric patients
   4. Solitary confinement, a strict form of imprisonment
2. The confinement of an animal specimen in a zoo
3. In physics:
   1. Color confinement, the physical principle explaining the non-observation of color charged particles like free quarks
   2. Confinement of thermonuclear plasmas, as a requirement to obtain fusion energy
   3. Confinement of liquids by pores or similar
   4. Quantum confinement”

So basically, it is all about borders, limits, limitations, cells, cages, …

In the current Corona crisis, we use the word in a new, somewhat ambiguous way – referring to a milder form of quarantine. In some countries a once milder form is gradually getting stricter.

Ambiguous?

For most of us this “Confinement” cause as whole lot of problems: it exerts limits on our freedom to move and diminishes our livelihood, …

But this “Confinement” at the same time aims at saving our health, securing our survival.

That of course does not make the current situation easier. In Germany some people are starting to use the word “Lagerkoller” – best being translated as “Camp Rage” – to describe their emotional state after being confined for weeks with 4 children, 3 cats, 2 dogs, 1 husband, … or the like.

This ambiguity is why there is an image of an old keep on the banner of the event. A keep can keep you imprisoned – it can also keep you save.

And for a positive end of this little essay one last thought: Yes, many of us are confined. Some of us are experiencing the influence of propaganda on either side of the former iron curtain, trying to use the current crisis for their means. But still the words of an old song hold true:

Liberté de Penser – Die Gedanken sind frei – Thoughts are free

Have a look at an Alsacian/International version (From 2015 – Je suis Charlie):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j54HIGk_AEI

These are special times – it may not at all be easy for all of you to take a panorama. But we are counting on your creativity for many contributions to this event “Confinement”.